LOS ANGELES: In a significant development concerning the legal dispute over the Chateau Miraval estate, a French vineyard co-owned by Hollywood exes Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, a judge has denied Angelina Jolie’s motion to dismiss Brad Pitt’s lawsuit, according to reports from the US Sun.
The dispute stems from Jolie’s sale of her stake in the French vineyard to Russian billionaire and Stolichnaya vodka tycoon Yuri Shefler in 2021 for a staggering $64 million, a transaction executed through her firm Nouvel. This move allegedly violated an agreement between Jolie and Pitt, which mandated mutual consent for any sale of their respective shares.
Despite Jolie’s efforts to challenge a previous ruling that allowed Pitt’s claims to proceed, the Los Angeles Superior Court, presided over by Judge Lia Martin, upheld the validity of Pitt’s lawsuit.
Brad Pitt’s Lawsuit Against Angelina Jolie
Responding to Brad Pitt’s allegations of breach of contract, Jolie’s legal team denounced the lawsuit as “frivolous, malicious, and part of a problematic pattern.”
During recent proceedings, the judge granted Pitt’s legal team permission to pursue claims of breach of implied-in-fact contract and breach of quasi-contract against Jolie. Additionally, Pitt was authorized to amend a previously dismissed claim for breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
Adding a twist to the legal saga, it was revealed by the Dailymail that a Luxembourg court temporarily seized Yuri Shefler’s shares, effectively granting Brad Pitt majority ownership.
The roots of the conflict trace back to 2008 when Pitt and Jolie jointly purchased the sprawling 1,300-acre Miraval estate in Provence, Southern France, where they later tied the knot in 2014.
Brad Pitt initiated legal action against Angelina Jolie in February 2022, contesting her sale of shares in the vineyard. In a counter-move, Jolie’s former firm Nouvel filed a lawsuit against Pitt in September 2022, seeking damages amounting to $350 million.
A legal document submitted as part of Jolie’s defense alleged that the sale of her stake in the vineyard was motivated by a desire to harm Brad Pitt, characterizing it as an act of aggression against her former spouse.
